NYC Mayoral Candidate Blake Sues to Participate in Second Debate

Michael Blake, a candidate in the New York City mayoral race, has filed a lawsuit against the city's Campaign Finance Board (CFB) after being excluded from the second mayoral debate scheduled for June 12, 2025. The former Bronx Assembly member contends that the CFB incorrectly calculated his fundraising totals, which prevented him from qualifying for the debate stage. According to Blake's campaign, he has met the required thresholds by receiving $255,313 in matchable funds from 1,592 matchable donors.

The Campaign Finance Board announced in late May that Blake would not participate in the upcoming debate due to insufficient fundraising numbers. To qualify for the second debate, candidates must either raise $250,000 in matchable campaign donations with at least 1,000 matchable contributions of $10 or more, spend $2,379,600, or achieve at least 5% in polls. Blake's lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, argues that system errors by the CFB led to the incorrect exclusion of more than 100 contributions from his fundraising totals.

Blake's campaign is requesting time to correct or resubmit documentation for the contributions in question. The lawsuit characterizes the CFB's decision as "arbitrary and capricious" and seeks to have the board rectify its alleged documentation errors. Blake's legal team maintains that the candidate has legitimately met the fundraising requirements and should not be penalized for what they describe as administrative errors in the CFB's system.

The candidate's profile has reportedly increased following his performance in the first debate. Blake has also gained additional support following Jessica Ramos' endorsement of Cuomo, with some voters now including him in their ranked choice selections. When contacted about the lawsuit, a spokesperson for the Campaign Finance Board declined to comment on the pending litigation.